The National Amusement Park Operators Association issued a recommendation today to patrons at parks nationwide to wipe off their seats before riding the Michael Vick Experience.
“We always put the health and safety of our amusement park visitors above all else,” said Mitch Atcheson, director of the NAPOA. “While genital herpes is primarily spread through sexual contact – which is not part of most Michael Vick Experience rides – it can also be contracted by touching objects which an infected person has been in contact with, and that’s why we decided to go ahead and issue the warning.”
The Michael Vick Experience, which is found at more than two dozen parks throughout the country, allows riders to experience what it’s like to maneuver around a football field just like the star quarterback.
Doug Gonzalez, the director of Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, said his park may make slight modifications to the ride in time for the 2005 season to make it more realistic for riders.
“We’re thinking of adding a chemical to the seat that will give riders a burning sensation in their crotch throughout the ride,” said Gonzalez. “In my mind, Michael Vick’s herpes shows even more what a great athlete he is, when you consider that he probably has outbreaks during the season in which he has to play through painful scabbing and discharges. And we want to reflect that in the ride to give patrons the most realistic experience they can get without actually contracting genital herpes from Michael Vick."